A European space telescope has captured new images of the huge asteroid Apophis, revealing that the potentially hazardous object is actually bigger than previously thought.

Asteroid Apophis has long been billed as a "doomsday asteroid" because of a 2004 study that initially predicted a 2.7 percent chance of the space rock hitting Earth in April 2029. Later studies proved, however, that the asteroid poses no threat to Earth during that flyby. The current forecast calls for Apophis to pass within 22,364 miles (36,000 kilometers) of the planet in 2029. Astronomers continue to track the object since it will make another pass near Earth in 2036.

On Wednesday, ESA officials said its infrared-wavelength Herschel Space Observatory found that Apophis is about 1,066 feet (325 meters) wide, nearly 20 percent larger than a previous estimate of 885 feet (270 meters).

"The 20 percent increase in diameter … translates into a 75 percent increase in our estimates of the asteroid's volume or mass," study leader Thomas Müller of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, said in a statement. [Photos of Near-Earth Asteroid Apophis]

Two free webcasts were scheduled to stream views of Apophis from telescopes in Italy and the Canary Islands on Wednesday. The webcasts, offered by the stargazing websites Slooh Space Telescope and Virtual Telescope Project, showed Apophis as no more than a bright light moving across the night sky. The asteroid is too small to be seen through small backyard telescopes.

The Slooh Space Camera webcast began at 7 p.m. ET. The Virtual Telescope webcast began an hour later at 8 p.m. ET.

Apophis is currently just under 9.3 million miles (15 million kilometers) from Earth, amateur astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project told Space.com.

"Alone among all these near-Earth asteroids that have passed our way in recent years, Apophis has generated the most concern worldwide because of its extremely close approach in 2029 and (chances of a) potential impact, albeit small, in 2036," Slooh President Patrick Paolucci said in a statement.

In addition to asteroid Apophis, astronomers regularly scan the night sky for asteroids that may pose a potential impact threat to Earth.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Office and Asteroid Watch program is based at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.